New information continues to make the connection between the health of our mouths and the rest of the body very clear. As a result, taking care of your teeth and gums moves higher on the self-care priority list. But what about your tongue?
Like the rest of your mouth, your tongue is home to millions of bacteria that can cause an inflammatory cascade in your immune system. Keeping your tongue clean is critical if you want to avoid harboring and ingesting harmful microorganisms.
Tongue cleaning has been practiced for hundreds of years in the Eastern world. You can reduce destructive mouth bacteria by cleaning your tongue regularly. You will also help prevent bad breath, a coated tongue, plaque buildup, and other harmful oral health conditions.
How Do You Clean Your Tongue?
Both toothbrushes and tongue scrapers can remove bacteria on the tongue. Many professionals say tongue scrapers are the best tool to use and are more effective than using a toothbrush. You can find tools designed especially for this purpose online, but the simplest option is to use a spoon.
Cleaning your tongue is as easy as dragging a blunt-edged metal tool across your tongue. Stick your tongue out as far as you can. Face the bowl of the spoon towards your tongue and reach as far back as comfortably possible. Using gentle pressure, pull the tool to the tip of your tongue, then rinse your tongue cleaner. You will be astonished at the amount of gunk that comes off, especially if you haven’t been cleaning your tongue regularly. Do the same action three to four times, then spit and rinse.
Benefits of Tongue Cleaning
If you clean your tongue every time you brush your teeth, you can see some significant benefits:
- Help reduce volatile sulfur compounds that cause bad breath. A tongue scraper can remove 75% of these compounds and a toothbrush can remove 45%.
- Enjoy the taste of food. A cleaner tongue can alter your taste perceptions, particularly of sucrose and citric acid.
- Brushing your teeth and cleaning your tongue regularly reduces plaque levels, helping to promote dental health.
- It contributes to a fresher-feeling mouth.
- It improves your immune system by removing harmful toxins to help you stay healthy.
Clean Tongue, Healthy Body
The tongue is bacteria headquarters, so establishing and maintaining a balance of healthy microbes is a critical step in achieving better whole-body health. Whether you use a toothbrush or a tongue scraper, cleaning this part of your anatomy is a positive addition to your daily oral health practices. Examining your tongue every day will also help you notice if anything is wrong. If you see any unusual changes, don’t hesitate to talk to a doctor or a dentist.
Have you tried tongue cleaning? If so, were you surprised? What benefits have you experienced by cultivating this daily habit? Please share in the comments below!